#MeToo Campaign  must take recourse to legal means

metoo

It is good enough rather necessary, requisite and a need of hour that women have came forward to report the cases of sexual harassment. It is indeed a step towards women empowerment. This campaign should have proceeded and contined with an aim and object to create awareness among women and make them feel empowered by registering such cases in police stations. Except for, it has straightaway turned to a completely collateral path.

While we support #MeToo campaign, in no condition we be compelled to allow any disqualifying and unfit definition of sexual harrassment to flourish and thrive. Further, we shouldn’t allow any vilification,malignment and defamation of guiltless people. In no way people with any ill motive, seeking or looking to take any revenge and where alleged victim is trying to get a hype, ballyhoo or trying to get an attention for the purpose be allowed to take benefit of such campaigns. It is not too easy to prove a case of sexual harassment, per se. It is appropriate to report it to police as per law. Sharing and dealing these cases on social media and, naming and shaming, disgracing people without any legal trial makes the exercise nothing less or more than a lynching campaign. Nobody can take law into their own hands on one pretext or other, whatsoever. It needs to be further understood that any person unless declared guilty by court is innocent in the eyes of law. What qualifies sexual harrasment is defined in IPC. Other than that is mere speculation or hypothesis.
First, people must know what qualifies a case of harassment.

Section 354A of the Indian Penal Code defines
Sexual harassment as:

A man committing any of the following acts—

  1. physical contact and advances involving unwelcome and explicit sexual overtures; or
  2. a demand or request for sexual favours; or
  3. showing pornography against the will of a woman; or
  4. making sexually coloured remarks, shall be guilty of the offence of sexual harassment.

This section was inserted in 2013 after Justice Verma committee report.

In one of the cases, I have found that a ‘radical’ feminist group in Kashmir, claiming to be protagonist of woman rights and empowerment while sharing a list of ‘alleged’ accused persons enlists one of the case, which is too poor to fit or qualify to be called a case of sexual harassment. In a post on its facebook page, one of the accused has been declared harasser only for a reason that his ‘guilt’ was that he has sent a shayr (poem) ‘romantic’ to a girl with whom he had some acquaintance. Moreover, it has been attributed to him that he had invited the same girl to meet him. Does inviting a female acquaint to meet by a male alone make it a case of sexual harrassment? Principally not. #MeToo campaign is taking a ugly turn here. It can’t be allowed to let defame guiltless people. In such cases, the courts have also adopted doctrine of presumption and that presumption is to be rebutted by the accused, otherwise, law will presume him guilty.
The presumption principle is flawed, arbitrary and discriminatory. However, courts will decide on facts and circumstances of each case. This second approach makes the trial fair, equitable and reasonable.

Tallpiece: Sanity, pragmatism and prudence demands that the law should be given weightage over media trials. Social media trials are unjust and can’t replace courts. Nobody can be shamed, dishonoured and declared guilty unless proven guilty. For that purpose, court is ultimate destination.

P.S : I’m not giving any certificate of innocence or guilt to anyone on my part. The words innocent, guiltless have been used in sense of legal terminology.

 

  • The Author is a student of Law at the School of Legal Studies, Central University of Kashmir. He blogs at: http://AbrarReyaz.wordpress.com and can be reached at [email protected]

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